BUS fares on the Keighley Town Network have been capped at £1.

And the number of services on some routes has been boosted, with West Yorkshire’s Mayor highlighting how there is "no point" in making fares cheaper if there are no buses.

From Sunday, Transdev services on the Keighley Town Network will have a maximum £1 fare as part of a push by West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) to get more people on buses.

A number of services, including ones linking Keighley and Shipley, will run every 20 minutes – up from their current half-hour frequency.

It is the first step of a £4m scheme by WYCA to boost services and bus usage in hotspot areas.

Changes include:

  • All passengers on the Keighley Town Network will benefit from a £1 flat fare.
  • Passengers on the number 60 Aireline service will benefit from a new 60A service, running hourly on Monday to Saturday daytime from Shipley to Leeds via Calverley Lane in Rodley, replacing part of the previous 508 route. Combined with the existing 60 services, this means buses between Shipley and Leeds increasing from half-hourly to every 20 minutes.
  • The K3 service will run every ten minutes and the K7 will run every 12 minutes.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin launched the new fares and services at Keighley Bus Station on Friday afternoon.

Keighley is the first area to benefit from the bus boost, with extra services in Halifax and Huddersfield expected to be announced in the coming months.

Ms Brabin said: “The focus is making sure people get around and get to places when they want to.

“This is a really great day, it will mean an extra 1,100 journeys every month.

“The £1 fare will put money back into people’s pockets. A lot of people in the area don’t have cars and rely on public transport. I’m a commuter myself, and what we’ve had so far hasn’t been fit for purpose.”

Referring to the extra services that are being introduced, she added: “It is no point in making fares cheaper if there are no buses.”

Bradford Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe, chair of WYCA’s Transport Committee, said: “We’ve put a lot of WYCA money into this, and Transdev have been a really good partner.

"Without them we wouldn’t have been able to introduce this £1 fare.

“For people in Keighley, it means cheaper fares during the cost of living crisis as well as more frequent bus services. It means more people will be able to get the bus to work and college, and will make lives easier and cheaper.”

“I hope it will increase the number of people using buses.”